Friendship Portraits: Chantal Joffe and Ishbel Myerscough

Lovely exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of pictures by Chantal Joffe and Ishbel Myerscough of themselves, each other and their children.

As the title suggests there was a real sense of friendship in this show. Some of the pictures had the same backgrounds so gave a sense of having been painted at the same time or at least I the same place. I liked to think a lot of tea was drunk and good conversation was had while painting them. The commentary said they had been friends since their student days at the Glasgow School of Art.

Their styles are quite different with Myerscough’s having a more finished quality and Joffe’s being more expressive. This made for a really interesting contrast and yet, being similar subject matter, they really complemented each other.

 

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